If you’re not a fan of noise makers used by boisterous students at a hockey game between rival city high schools, you might want to steer clear of the Stratford Rotary Complex on Friday afternoon around 1 p.m.
City council voted to grant an exemption to the Stratford District Secondary School’s spirit committee, allowing them a limited number of noise makers for the Golden Bears’ game against the St. Mike’s Warriors. Mark Viani, the SDSS coach, sent a letter to the city asking for the exemption to the 2016 Facilities Code of Conduct that prohibits artificial noise makers. In his letter, Viani listed rice in a 2L pop bottle and a cow bell as items the spirit committee wished to bring with them to the game, adding that it would be a ‘very controlled section with a limit of 15, if necessary’.
Coun. Bonnie Henderson voiced her objection to the exemption when the topic came up, vehemently arguing that there are concerns beyond students having fun at the game to be considered.
“My granddaughter has autism so loud noise is really a factor for her,” Henderson said. “We used to go to games and she’d stand way in the back and just rock because it was too loud for her. Other people have similar issues with sensitivity to noise. And staff recommended that we deny the exemption and I felt we should listen to them since they’re the ones who will have to deal with it.”
Henderson, however, was the only one who saw it that way. Coun. Taylor Briscoe was just one of nine in a 9-1 recorded vote (requested by Henderson) to grant the exemption who felt that students should be allowed to experience the rivalry game in the fullest way possible.
“I feel that it’s just one afternoon to the city, but for those students, I know, being on the student and often the player side, it’s really a fundamentally foundational memory for them,” she said. “I believe that they’ll see that the city has granted them a wonderful opportunity and they’ll take advantage of it.”
Both Henderson and Briscoe agreed that potentially moving the game to the William Allman Arena – where noise concerns would be mitigated by the lack of offices in the building along with other public-use facility features such as the walking track at the Rotary – might make sense in the future if details can be worked out. Tim Wolfe, the city’s director of community services, said the game was scheduled for the Rotary Complex at the rest of the schools, largely due to the proximity to both of their campuses.
Friday’s game will see the Warriors (3-0) put their undefeated league record on the line against the Golden Bears (4-1). Puck drop is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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